Is Final Fantasy 7 stronger than all of Final Fantasy put together? This is the question we can ask ourselves today. While we recently saw the 25ᵉ anniversary of the game come to fruition with a swarm of projects that follow their course, we can rejoice in the enthusiasm of the fans, but also worry a little about the continuation of the adventures of Square Enix …
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The end of an era…
Final Fantasy VII Remakeis a project that officially dates from 2015. We are talking about a colossal construction site and after a release in 2020 of the first opus, now the second part is finally taking shape in a trailer. It is scheduled for the end of 2023 and was displayed in images, with a small sequence in play. We continue this epic, which differs from the original in many respects. We are already halfway through the project, unexpectedly, since the game took more than 7 years to deliver its part 1, some expected the adventure to end around 2030, but fortunately, it will be more early…
Finally, we hope so, because the pundits of the studio have claimed that the third and final installment is already in development. They have the tools, the models, the game system, and with part 2, they worked on the relationship to the open world. ‘So they can simply extend the production pipeline of 2, to get a third episode out of it, which would therefore be released relatively quickly. It’s kind of like Matrix 1, and Matrix 2 and 3 that came out of each other pretty quickly. This assumption is obviously to be taken with a grain of salt. However, this excitement around FF7 betrays a new strategy for Square Enix, a strategy in tune with the times…
Remakes: a weapon of mass destruction?
Square Enix is not the only company to capitalize on remakes as a key asset to stable profitability. Production costs are rising, and on a saga as extensive as Final Fantasy. In addition to that, the anthological structure of the franchise means that we start from scratch with each episode. This can be seen in the game design, which since episode 10 has been structurally modified with each opus, and it can also be seen in the expectations of the fans. It is enough that the framework or the characters do not match with the audience so that we are heading towards a drama in terms of sales. We see it well with Final Fantasy XVI. It’s HIM, the next big canon project of the license, and yet, it does not necessarily motivate the crowds as much as FF7 Remake.
A box like Square Enix cannot afford several years of emptiness or half-hearted waiting which would represent a future threat. It is therefore necessary to constantly fill with lots of projects with 100% guaranteed profitability. This is a phenomenon that can be seen with many developers and publishers, and this is, for example, what is happening with the Resident Evil saga at Capcom. We now have a canon episode, and a remake that take over and ensure the financial stability of the box’s accounts. Nostalgia always pays off and promising a remake is playing on the heartstrings of fans who will most likely buy the future game. And we can see that with the remake of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VIIwhich was presented last night, which promises to relive the founding adventure of the FF7 myth, and which fans will probably jump on.
When the price freezes…
This is a point that had already been debated when the first Remake was released: how much will the full game cost? FF7 is an adventure that lasts between 55 and 120 hours and was sold at the price of a normal game at the time. There, we pull the rope a little with 3 games, lasting between 40 and 100 hours each, and sold full pot. Add to that the increase of 10 euros between the PS4 and PS5 version of the remake. This increase is also invited on PC, since Square Enix positions its games at the highest price on the new generation market: the standard of triple A PS5 being 80 euros… which must also be paid on PC. The normal price, on PC, in dematerialized form, is therefore almost 30% more expensive than the price to be paid at the exit for an AAA. However, for now, Intergrade is discounted to $52 on Steam. The pill will pass or not, that is the question, for the moment the opinions are very positive.
However, there are only 52, which means that in three weeks, when the price goes up to 80 euros and people have finished the content, the returns could be different. And if you are not convinced of the aggressiveness of such a policy with regard to your portfolio, we can recall that Forspoken, Square Enix’s next end-of-year triple A, costs at least 80$ on Steam currently, without discount this time, and the next edition is 105 euros. It’s still almost twice the price of a triple A on PC. The message is clear, if you are a fan of our quality products, you have to pay the price, and the presence of merchandising unveiled in the conference in the middle of the games, with in particular bracelets, an alarm clock, and a statuette, goes totally in this direction. On the other hand, if you don’t like paying for your games, Square Enix has also thought of you: free to play games which are the real financial asset of the firm.
The mobile: savior of long projects
As we have seen, alternating remake and canon project is to ensure profitability. Getting out of high-priced games and merchandising also goes in this direction. However, if we look at the firm’s last financial years, it is the MMOs, and therefore FF14, but especially the multiple mobile projects, which generate money. They were not absent from the 25th anniversary conference of FF7, and represented 50% of the announcements. First Soldier, the FF7 battle royal continues its momentum with new content. We’re into Season 3, and according to Sensor Tower, it’s a game that only generated $100,000 last month. We are far from the revenues of the top 10 Square Enix mobile games, which is why pushing for more enthusiasm is quite logical, especially at a time when the franchise’s Triple A games are in the news.
This might make fans want to wait on a game in the same universe. The other FF7 mobile project had already been announced, and offers gameplay here, especially in combat. We are talking about Ever Crisis, the other remake. This game promises an adventure bridging the different FF7 productions. But beware, who says free to play mobile says seasonal content and microtransactions. In the trailer we can see different outfits, especially for Aerith, and we already know that there will be a gatcha system to unlock the weapons… It’s therefore a safe bet that the economic model will be particularly awaited at the turning.
After FF7 Remake
Quite objectively, in the hearts of fans, no FF has been as loved as the seventh installment. It is the first RPG of a whole generation. He is revered, adored, sacred, and his universe has already received eight dedicated works, orbiting around the base game, not counting First Order, Ever Crisis, FF7 Remake in 3 parts, and the Crisis Core remake. But what can Square Enix do next? If we look closely, there are other games in the franchise that have a good aura: Final Fantasy XFF6, Final Fantasy IX are good examples and they could do with a remake, after various remasters and mobile projects. The ninth episode has been tipped for months to host a remake, which would be quite logical, since it is one of the best games in the saga.
As for X, it seems to be the FF that lends itself the most. By the way, we recently had echoes of an episode X-3, for which there is already a script. One thing is certain, redoing FF Open Worlds is more complex than redoing FF corridors. And then, when we look at the Final Fantasy saga, there are also the Tactics, dedicated to portable consoles and mobile, which could ideally make their return to Switch. But whatever it is, nothing will be of the caliber of an FF7, which has benefited from films, series, spin-offs, mobile games, portable games and premium games. We will therefore have to quickly think about the future, but we think that Square Enix is already aware of this concern…
